Regular Bloods ? but waiting on thyroid bloods - Thyroid UK

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Regular Bloods ? but waiting on thyroid bloods

madeline05 profile image
18 Replies

Hi folks,

Just wondering if anyone of you who have some experience and a fine eye, does anything scream at you here with my bloods?

My eagerly awaited thyroid bloods have not come through yet.

Vitamin B12 170 ng/L Range 140 - 844

Serum Folate 6.0 ng/mL 3.1 - 19.9

Serum Ferritin 18 ng/mL 11 - 307Pr

25-OH Vitamin D 29 nmol/

Cholesterol 5.7 mmol/L

WBC 5.9 x10^9/L Range 4.4 - 11.3

RBC 4.23 x10^12/L Range 3.9 - 5.3

any comment would be appreciated.

thanks x

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18 Replies
Jaydee1507 profile image
Jaydee1507Administrator

All of your vitamins are horribly low. Are you vegan or vegetarian? You must be feeling terrible.

Suggest you get GP to test you for coeliac.

If not vegan or vegetarian:

B12 - do you have symptoms of B12 deficiency? The reference range for B12 is very wide and cut off point too low. theb12society.com/signs-and...

If you do then you should discuss this with your doctor for further tests for Pernicious Anaemia.

If not, then start with a methyl B12 sublingual spray or lozenge for a week, then add a good B complex. Once you run out of the separate B12 just continue with the B complex.

cytoplan.co.uk/vitamin-b12-...

amazon.co.uk/Better-You-Boo...

Folate - aim for a level of 20. Recommend taking an active/methyl (should say on label) B complex which contains 400mcgs folate (also B12). Slightly cheaper options with inactive B6:

amazon.co.uk/Liposomal-Soft...

Contains B6 as P5P an active form:

bigvits.co.uk/thorne-resear...

healf.com/products/basic-b-...

Explanation about the different forms of B6:

helvella.blogspot.com/p/hel...

B complex comparison spreadsheet:

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

If you show these results to your GP they may wish to retest Vit D and give you loading doses.

Vitamin D should be around 100 - 150. Buy one that includes vit K2 to help it go to your bones. Some are available in oil or you can take it with an oily meal for better absorption. Many members like the ‘Better You’ range of mouth sprays that contain both bit D & K2. Use this calculator to work out how much to take to get your level to 100-150.grassrootshealth.net/projec...

Ferritin is deficient. Show GP these results and they should prescribe iron for you. Take iron 4 hours away from Levo (if you are taking that) and with orange juice or anything containing vit C to help it absorb better.

madeline05 profile image
madeline05 in reply toJaydee1507

Thank you Jaydee1507 for taking the time to reply.

I guess I probably am a vegetarian. I would prefer veg over meat therefore wouldn't eat much meat at all. I really appreciate all the info you have given me and will sit down and go through those links .

Ive never heard of Pernicious Anaemia must look into that now.

Ive suffered with severe constipation all my life, remember my mother bringing me to the doctor at 12 with it, 51 now. I have been taking laxatives passed 5 years to help the burden wonder if this has affected my nutrients?

I had a colonoscopy and laparoscopy last year due to constipation but all ok and he said I wasn't coeliac.

Thanks again xxxx

Jaydee1507 profile image
Jaydee1507Administrator in reply tomadeline05

Low meat intake will affect B12 and ferritin. You likely need to be supplementing continuously to maintain good levels.

If you don't eat fish then you shoud probably add in a good quality Omega 3. You can get algae now if you don;t want anything fish based.

Raising your vitamin levels will help you feel much more well.

madeline05 profile image
madeline05 in reply toJaydee1507

Thank you my lovely

madeline05 profile image
madeline05 in reply toJaydee1507

sorry jaydee150 should I have b6 included in complex?

TiggerMe profile image
TiggerMeAmbassador in reply tomadeline05

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

madeline05 profile image
madeline05 in reply toTiggerMe

fab thanks tiggerme

Jaydee1507 profile image
Jaydee1507Administrator in reply tomadeline05

Yes it should.

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

ouch these are all dreadful

Likely thyroid levels are poor and are CAUSING poor nutrient absorption due to LOW stomach acid

Are you vegetarian or vegan?

When are you seeing GP

Ferritin is deficient

You need full iron panel test for anaemia

Will need iron supplements

B12 so low you need testing for Pernicious Anaemia before starting on daily B12 supplement or possibly loading dose B12 injections and on going injections every 2-3 months

Vitamin D virtually deficient

Folate inadequate but don’t start supplementing any B vitamins until a week after started on daily B12 supplement or 48 hours after first B12 injection

GP should do coeliac blood test too

Imagine you must feel pretty rough

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

you can start improving vitamin D while you wait for further tests and prescriptions

NHS Guidelines on dose vitamin D required

ouh.nhs.uk/osteoporosis/use...

GP will often only prescribe to bring vitamin D levels to 50nmol.

Some areas will prescribe to bring levels to 75nmol or even 80nmol

leedsformulary.nhs.uk/docs/...

GP should advise on self supplementing if over 50nmol, but under 75nmol (but they rarely do)

mm.wirral.nhs.uk/document_u...

But improving to around 80nmol or 100nmol by self supplementing may be better

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/218...

vitamindsociety.org/pdf/Vit...

Once you Improve level, very likely you will need on going maintenance dose to keep it there.

Test twice yearly when supplementing

Can test via NHS private testing service

vitamindtest.org.uk

Vitamin D mouth spray by Better You is very effective as it avoids poor gut function.

There’s a version made that also contains vitamin K2 Mk7.

One spray = 1000iu

amazon.co.uk/BetterYou-Dlux...

suggest you start on 2000iu or 3000iu per day

It’s trial and error what dose we need, with thyroid issues we frequently need higher dose than average

Vitamin D and thyroid disease

grassrootshealth.net/blog/t...

Vitamin D may prevent Autoimmune disease

newscientist.com/article/23...

Web links about taking important cofactors - magnesium and Vit K2-MK7

Magnesium best taken in the afternoon or evening, but must be four hours away from levothyroxine

betterbones.com/bone-nutrit...

medicalnewstoday.com/articl...

livescience.com/61866-magne...

sciencedaily.com/releases/2...

Interesting article by Dr Malcolm Kendrick on magnesium

drmalcolmkendrick.org/categ...

Vitamin K2 mk7

betterbones.com/bone-nutrit...

healthline.com/nutrition/vi...

madeline05 profile image
madeline05 in reply toSlowDragon

Thank you slow dragon for both of your replies and time . x

You mentioned this 'Likely thyroid levels are poor and are CAUSING poor nutrient absorption due to LOW stomach acid'. this is interesting as I have a hiatus hernia. are these connected I wonder.

I was saying t jaydee1507 I probably am a vegetarian, as id eat veg over meat. This is obviously affected my iron. Lots to look at.

I have been tested for coeliac but told no. it was a colonoscopy. I got tested for this due to chronic constipation since childhood.

my sister was a coeliac as a child, doc said she grew out of it.

my mother had an underactive thyroid.

Thank you for your help girlies, so much appreciated.

I will update my thyroid bloods once I get them xxx

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply tomadeline05

as your Mum had hypothyroidism it’s highly likely your hypothyroidism is autoimmune….aka Hashimoto’s

Hashimoto's affects the gut and leads to low stomach acid and then low vitamin levels

Low vitamin levels affect Thyroid hormone working

Poor gut function can lead leaky gut (literally holes in gut wall) this can cause food intolerances.

Most common by far is gluten.

Dairy is second most common.

A trial of strictly gluten free diet is always worth doing

Only 5% of Hashimoto’s patients test positive for coeliac but a further 81% of Hashimoto’s patients who try gluten free diet find noticeable or significant improvement or find it’s essential

A strictly gluten free diet helps or is essential due to gluten intolerance (no test available) or due to leaky gut and gluten causing molecular mimicry (see Amy Myers link)

Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal and may slowly lower thyroid antibodies (assuming you have high antibodies)

Don’t start more than one change at a time

So …..most important you get started on levothyroxine (assuming test shows you are hypothyroid)

Perhaps in 3-4 months once vitamin levels improved and thyroid improving

Then perhaps Trying gluten free diet for 3-6 months. If no noticeable improvement then reintroduce gluten and see if symptoms get worse

chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

amymyersmd.com/2018/04/3-re...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

drknews.com/changing-your-d...

Non Coeliac Gluten sensitivity (NCGS) and autoimmune disease

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/296...

The predominance of Hashimoto thyroiditis represents an interesting finding, since it has been indirectly confirmed by an Italian study, showing that autoimmune thyroid disease is a risk factor for the evolution towards NCGS in a group of patients with minimal duodenal inflammation. On these bases, an autoimmune stigma in NCGS is strongly supported

nuclmed.gr/wp/wp-content/up...

In summary, whereas it is not yet clear whether a gluten free diet can prevent autoimmune diseases, it is worth mentioning that HT patients with or without CD benefit from a diet low in gluten as far as the progression and the potential disease complications are concerned

restartmed.com/hashimotos-g...

Despite the fact that 5-10% of patients have Celiac disease, in my experience and in the experience of many other physicians, at least 80% + of patients with Hashimoto's who go gluten-free notice a reduction in their symptoms almost immediately.

Similarly few months later consider trying dairy free too. Approx 50-60% find dairy free beneficial

With loads of vegan dairy alternatives these days it’s not as difficult as in the past

Post discussing gluten

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

you can’t grow out of being coeliac

She might have grown out of gluten intolerance

Is your sister hypothyroid too?

madeline05 profile image
madeline05 in reply toSlowDragon

That's amazing information thank you x

I was chatting with my sister today and told her that she really must get tested. So she is.. Thks.

I didn't realise that hashi affected the gut like that. Low acid interesting.. That along with an hiatus hernia not great so..

Il definitely try the gluten free diet. As u say 1 step at a time.

I'm looking forward to feeling better soon.

What are your thoughts on IFasting for thyroid issues?

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply tomadeline05

IFasting - Not a good idea when hypothyroid

Possibly in very limited amounts when we’ll treated thyroid levels and vitamin levels optimal

A lot of weight gain in mucin …only getting thyroid levels correct will reduce that

Gluten free/dairy free often helps with mucin too

madeline05 profile image
madeline05 in reply toSlowDragon

Yes that makes alot of sense x

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply tomadeline05

I didn't realise that hashi affected the gut like that. Low acid interesting.

Many medics aren’t aware of this either 🤷‍♀️

Or that high cholesterol is linked to being hypothyroid

Or that reversible poor kidney function is also linked to being hypothyroid

madeline05 profile image
madeline05 in reply toSlowDragon

Seems to me GPS are as knowledgeable about hypomhperthyroidism as they are menopause

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

article re Gluten and coeliac

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

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